While there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, following a brain health checklist could help reduce your risk

Leon Hill’s dad has Alzheimer’s disease. It’s been six years now. As he puts it, he and his family are “trying to manage it the best we can. My mom is providing some care with the help of the Alzheimer’s Association. We’ve had some people come in during the day, so Mom can have respite. It’s probably as good a situation as you can have in a bad situation.”

Hill spends many of his autumn Friday nights at Lynchburg City Stadium calling E.C. Glass football games from the press box. He also is the father of two young children. Developing Alzheimer’s, which has been shown to have genetic links, is “one of my great fears,” he said. “To be frank, it is to lose my mind and not know who [my children] are.”

Hill also is on the board of the Central and Western Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, which bills itself as “the brains behind saving yours.” Alzheimer’s is a brain disease, after all.

While physicians use words like “beta-amyloid,” “tau protein” and “tangles” to explain what’s going on in the brain with Alzheimer’s, the Association simply defines it as “a progressive brain disorder that damages and eventually destroys brain cells, leading to memory loss and changes in thinking and other brain functions.”

As described by Dr. Peter Betz, geriatric psychiatrist at Centra Piedmont Psychiatric Center, the “cardinal features” of the disease are “memory loss or amnesia, difficulty with language and coordination, naming and understanding what objects are and executive function.”

Betz explained executive function as things like, “organizing, planning, sequencing” and “being able to understand complex ideas.”

It’s likely everybody knows someone who has Alzheimer’s disease or has died of Alzheimer’s or is one of the estimated 15 million family members who are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, it affects millions of Americans in one way or another. Recent stats from the organization are frightening and include the following, among others:

“Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.”

“More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. By 2050, that number could rise as high as 16 million.”

“In 2017, Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the nation $259 billion. By 2050, these costs could rise as high as $1.1 trillion.”

Naturally, people might wonder how to avoid getting this devastating and incurable disease. Luckily, there are things that might reduce your risk.

No smoking. According to the Alzheimer’s Association studies have shown that smoking “increases the risk of cognitive decline” and “quitting smoking can reduce that risk to levels comparable to those who have not smoked.”

Protect your head. Repeated concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, are thought to increase the risk of dementia. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association also recommends seatbelt use and wearing helmets during contact sports or while bike riding.

Speaking of your head, the Association also recommends taking care of mental health as “some studies link a history of depression with increased risk of cognitive decline.”

Vigorous exercise. “Mine might be different than yours, but it’s got to be vigorous,” Betz said. “Get your heart rate up, sweat, pores open, moving constantly for 20 or more minutes. … It’s got to be consistent and persistent.”

Get enough sleep. Betz recommends getting eight hours of sleep each night, and he recommends getting that sleep during the same time period each night, seven days a week. It’s all part of what he calls “sleep hygiene,” training your body to sleep well.

There are other rules, too: “There are only two things that happen in the bed: sleeping or having sex,” he said. “Not reading in the bed. Not eating or watching TV. No talking about the day, planning vacation, thinking about house colors. Bed is for sleep and sex and you can’t sleep anywhere outside of the bed.”

And taking a sleeping pill doesn’t cut it. Betz said he has “great concerns about anything that we think outsmarts nature.”

Get out among the people. “Staying socially engaged may support brain health,” says the Alzheimer’s Association, which recommends volunteering, joining choirs or clubs, spending time with friends and family and “pursuing social activities that are meaningful to you.”

Hill interacts with lots of people at football games. “Football games allow me to gather significant amounts of data, look at what I’m saying and express it to people in the stands in a way they can understand,” he said, adding that while people are rooting for their kids on the field, “I try to engage them on a level that allows them to feel comfortable.”

Be heart healthy and eat well. “The Mediterranean diet is the healthiest management diet that we can possibly find on this planet,” Betz said. “Others purport that they’re even better, but they’re troublesome and difficult.

“It’s a diabetic diet, of fresh fish, fruits and nuts rather than processed food. Eat a diabetic diet, even if you’re not diabetic and you’re going to get 80 to 90 percent of the Mediterranean diet.”

On that line, there is thought to be a link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Among the risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s, Dr. Charles Joseph, a neurologist with the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine, listed “diabetes mellitus of 10 to 20 years duration before the development of dementia.”

He added that diabetes often develops in middle age and people who want to reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s should “make sure they’re controlling diabetes.”

Keep learning and challenge yourself. “That doesn’t mean just mental activity,” Betz said. “Lots of people say, ‘I do word searches.’ That doesn’t count. Mental exercise needs to be just as hard as the physical exercise. … I’m not denying that word searches can be fun. Something that really causes a lot of brain cells to come into play, in order to problem solve.

“Reading a romance novel or thriller might be great fun [and it’s] better than watching TV, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Like playing chess, concentrating on moves and counter strategies. Learning a new philosophy, understanding ways to think about the world that you’ve never explored before. Learning a new language. It can’t be casual. It’s got to be work.”

As Joseph puts it, “The more you use your brain, the more connections you have. The more you have the more you have to lose.”

Hill, a lifelong athlete, said, “Your mind is a muscle. Anything that you exercise and work out has a better likelihood of being stronger and lasting longer. … The healthier we are the better off we are going to be. Silly as it sounds, you rarely see healthy people keeling over.”

“Most healthy people do relatively well. Even if they have some kind of medical emergency, they recover faster. Pay attention to your mind, heart and body. We believe right now, the healthier you are, the healthier your mind is. The more engaged you are, the better you’re going to be long term.”

A getaway that provides history lessons, quiet retreat and (maybe) ghosts

The stately, eight-columned Greek Revival mansion at the heart of the Berry Hill Resort and Conference Center in South Boston is full of stories, and some say, ghosts.

Berry Hill easily falls into the category of “Virginia’s best kept secrets.” Tucked out of sight from main roads, a long oak-lined drive leads to the mansion in Halifax County, a mile from the Dan River.

The plantation, a National Historic Landmark, is increasingly a destination for weddings, as well as conferences and weekend getaways.

As you walk around the estate, it’s easy to imagine a bustling farm operation. With the labor of at least 200 documented slaves, and probably many more, the plantation produced great quantities of tobacco, corn, wheat, oats, hay and livestock.

Remains of old stone slave quarters are scattered across the property, a poignant reminder of the people who made plantations possible. The French company that restored the estate to its former grandeur intentionally left the quarters in ruins to represent the crumbled institution of slavery, says Lealand Luck, the mansion’s 79-year-old tour guide.

The 650-acre property is part of an original 105,000-acre land grant given to William Byrd II, who surveyed the land between North Carolina and Virginia.

One of the better-known owners was Benjamin Harrison, one of the first governors of Virginia and signer of the Declaration of Independence. His son became the 9th president and grandson the 23rd president of the United States.

In 1769, Isaac Coles purchased the property, which had dwindled to 1,020 acres, and willed it to his nephew Gen. Edward Carrington, who built the first plantation house, with two “mini-mansions” on either side, around 1770.

The most significant history of the place, though, belongs to the Bruce family, the only family to live in the current mansion.

James Bruce was a pioneer in what were essentially chain stores providing needed merchandise to farmers and residents scattered throughout rural Virginia. Between 1802 and 1837, he owned or was the dominant partner in 12 country stores, several flour mills, a fertilizer-plaster factory, a commercial blacksmith shop, several lumber yards, a cotton factory and two taverns. He also owned 16 plantations and nearly 1,000 slaves.

When he died in 1837, James Bruce was the third wealthiest man in America, with an estate valued at nearly $3 million.

But it was his son, James Cole Bruce and his wife, Elizabeth “Eliza” Wilkins Bruce, who were responsible for creating the current mansion around 1840.

The mansion was literally built around the 1770 house and is stuccoed on three sides, leaving the back of the original house visible. A significant number of slaves would have been needed to construct and maintain the 17-room mansion, which took seven years to build.

Lealand Luck, a retired Halifax County agriculture teacher, has been giving tours since 1999, when AXA, a French insurance company, bought the estate and poured $33 million into the renovation of the mansion and the construction of an 88-room hotel and conference center.

AXA built the retreat for its executives, but in 2001, after the bombing of the World Trade Center, they abandoned the project. Several owners later, Dr. Charles Edwards, a spine surgeon from Baltimore, Md., is determined to keep the resort going with the help of 50 employees.

Luck credits Eliza Bruce for choosing the mansion’s model, the Second Bank of the U.S. in Philadelphia, Pa.

“She was a very particular woman about symmetry and balance,” Luck said, pointing out keyholes that don’t actually lock and doors that open into walls.

As visitors enter the front door, centered between the eight massive columns, they are greeted by a truly spectacular horseshoe-shaped staircase, one of less than a handful in the country. The mahogany railings grow shorter as you climb. The lack of visible support for the stairs has puzzled architects for decades.

Only two pieces of original furniture remain in the mansion, and they are centered in front of the staircase, a small marble-topped table and a chandelier that once burned whale oil.

The house, though, is elegantly furnished with period pieces and the original marble, which came from the same quarry in Italy where Michelangelo found the marble for his famous sculpture of David.

To the right of the entrance was originally the master bedroom, an unusual way to greet visitors. The room now serves as part of the Carrington Restaurant, which provides upscale dining Friday through Monday.

Upstairs are three guest bedrooms decorated as they might have been when the mansion was built, with the addition of indoor plumbing.

Indoor plumbing definitely messed up some of the symmetry of the mansion, and I speculated that Eliza might have been one of the ghosts who returned to haunt it.

But Luck said James Cole Bruce was so distraught when his wife died that he went to weep over her grave night after night, begging her to come back to him, even as a spirit. She never did.

Luck, however, believes there are other ghosts in the mansion.

“I hear footsteps,” he said. “I don’t like coming here at night. It’s spooky. The more you think about it, the worse it gets.”

Frederick Watkins, the car dealer who bought the estate in the 1950s, spent only a few hours in the mansion one night, and was chased out by a “lady ghost,” Luck said.

Sometimes water will run for 10 minutes in the middle of the night when no one is there, servant bells will ring and visitors’ shoes get moved, he said.

Having never seen a ghost, my travel partner Michael and I decided to return to the mansion for a nighttime visit, but it was bustling with people preparing for a wedding.

We ran into one worker who told us he had never seen a full-blown apparition, but saw shadows he couldn’t explain, as well as orbs that aren’t visible but appear on camera. He pulled out his phone to show us glowing white balls floating in the air along a back staircase.

Another photo was taken in Darby’s Tavern, now a pub and restaurant where we had eaten a tasty dinner of crab cake and jambalaya. The worker said he was renovating one of the rooms on a hot day when he suddenly felt an icy blast near his leg. He saw nothing, but took a photo that revealed an orb.

Michael and I headed upstairs to a darkened parlor and sat quietly on a corner loveseat. Our photos didn’t turn up any orbs, but we soon heard young people from a wedding party ascending the stairs and admiring the portraits in the hallway.

A young woman entered the room with her back to us, switched on the light. As she turned and saw us, she let out a blood-curdling scream. We couldn’t stop laughing. The groom came in and toasted us. “That was the best prank ever,” he said.

We had bumped into the groom’s mother, Becky Trkula of Fairfax, several times during the day of our September visit. At breakfast the next morning, the tale of our haunting was the primary topic of conversation.

Trkula said they learned about Berry Hill from a friend of the bride and couldn’t be happier with the choice.

“I think it’s a perfect place for a wedding,” she said. “The staff could not be more pleasant, accommodating and willing to help. I would call it an above-perfect venue.”

Berry Hill features 93 rooms furnished with antiques and sleigh beds or four-posted beds. A European spa, both fine and casual dining, hiking, swimming, tennis, biking, fishing and a variety of outdoor games including bocce, croquet and horseshoes are available.

Berry Hill Resort is located at 3105 River Road, South Boston. Call 434-517-7000 or visit berryhillresort.com for more information.

Oh, the memories of bringing home our family’s Christmas tree as a kid.

My dad was a “go big or go home” type of Christmas tree buyer—it was standard for us to have a 10-, 11- even 12-foot tree in the back of his truck.

Then, there was the most festive part of the evening—the process of bringing the tree inside and setting it up. A process that generally included cursing, lamps breaking and the dogs hiding in the garage out of fear.

Despite always getting massive trees, we never invested in a Christmas tree stand that would actually hold a large one. It took all four of us, an hour of repositioning and a few strands of fishing line attached to the wall to get the tree into a halfway decent upright position.

But later that evening, once the family arguments subsided and my mom and I had fit as many ornaments as possible onto every branch, it was worth it. A tall tree really did look great in our two-story living room. And I always loved that we had a real tree. Every year it looked a little different and was unique to that particular Christmas.

As you get ready to decorate your homes this holiday season, we are focusing on the art of decorating the “old-fashioned way” in our Gardening department. Susan Timmons looks at the history of Christmas trees and how to incorporate real greenery into your décor. You may also get some ideas from a local woman who takes Christmas very seriously. In our Home department, go on a tour of the Beelers’ iconic Georgian Colonial in Forest that starts getting its makeover before Halloween arrives.

We also have our 12th Annual “Look What I Found!” Holiday Gift Guide that I hope will encourage you to visit some of the area’s fabulous local businesses. And to focus on the real giving spirit, we are highlighting 25 of the area’s top nonprofits (as voted by the community) in our 4th Annual Giving Back Awards.

Don’t feel left out if my story above has you saying, “But, Shelley, we don’t get a real tree.”

Neither do we.

My husband and I visited a local tree farm a few years ago. We accidentally chose a white pine that was way too big and (just like my childhood) fought to get it inside and keep it upright all season long. Moving forward, we decided an artificial tree with predictable measurements would be better right now (for our marriage at least!).

But I will always look back on those real trees of my childhood with a smile. I had no idea at the time that those stressful evenings would turn into cherished memories.

Here’s to your holiday season and the real-life moments you will remember for years to come,

Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

Wendy Williams Takes Over One of Lynchburg’s Classiest Restaurants

Lynchburg’s beloved Main Street Eatery & Catering Co. recently changed ownership. But don’t worry, the new leader knows exactly what she’s doing. And we couldn’t help but share her climbing-the-career-ladder story.

Wendy Williams was raised in a small town southeast of Syracuse, NY and was introduced to Lynchburg by family who worked for Virginia Episcopal School. They encouraged her to consider Randolph-Macon Woman’s College when she graduated high school.

Family support and a huge love of horses sealed the deal and she packed her bags for RMWC. Her restaurant career started there. Wendy worked in the dining hall throughout college and then bounced around many local restaurants—McDonald’s, The Windmill and Milano’s to name just a few—learning all aspects of the various jobs.

Wendy graduated RMWC in 1982 and soon met who would end up being a long-time employer. She began to wait tables at the Rutledge Inn for owners Michelle and Urs Gabathuler. Soon after, they sold the Inn and bought Emil’s Restaurant in Boonsboro Shopping Center (currently Isabella’s).

At Emil’s, Wendy did it all. She was a server, deli clerk, bartender, cashier, hostess, and quickly became the restaurant manager until 1996, when Emil’s was sold and became Meriweather’s.

Wendy continued to work for the Gabathulers and helped open Main Street Eatery in 1998. She has proudly worked every job in the restaurant and has been there off and on for the last 19 years.

In October 2016, when the Gabathulers announced they were ready to retire, Wendy jumped at the opportunity. She tells me she was definitely “in the right place at the right time” and owning the restaurant is a long-time goal.

“I have reached my pinnacle. This is what I have always dreamed about,” says Wendy. “The old owners set high standards and I will keep up the reputation of great food and great service.”

Wendy took over in March of this year. Of the transition, Wendy tells me it was smooth. After setting up her LLC and getting the appropriate license and permits, she partnered with Louis Cambeletta and got to work.

She made a few minor changes, but nothing customers would likely notice. She also made a few tweaks to the menu but says “what sells, stays.”

Discussing truths and misconceptions about the needs and struggles of foster care

From the ashes of trauma comes an opportunity to transform a life forever. As it relates to our community’s children, this second chance comes at a high price, but nearly any willing party—even those who may not realize it—has the means to set the foundation. It all starts with a home, and all the stability, warmth and care associated with that word.

Before they even started dating, Adam and Sarah Mullins had each decided they wanted to foster one day. They knew the need, plus they each personally took to heart what they felt was a clear call from God. As their chemistry kindled and a romance blossomed, this drew them even closer together.

Things got serious, however, when as a young married couple they decided, “Why wait?,” even before having children of their own.

“Honestly,” Adam recalled, “there was no reason not to do it. We knew there was a need, a kid with emotional and physical needs who was not being loved on, cared for.”

NEED
Within Lynchburg’s community, the number of children requiring foster care fluctuates day-to-day as new cases arise and others are settled. Recently, it was around 150.

“We believe that every single child deserves a home,” said April Watson, Foster Care/Adoption Supervisor for the City of Lynchburg’s Department of Human Services. “Our goal is to find the least restrictive, most family-like setting possible.”

Where that home is varies. Sometimes a relative, neighbor or someone who has developed a relationship with the child or children offers to take them in. And while Lynchburg is fortunate in having over 90 foster homes, they fill up fast.

“I’d like more of an accessible pool at any moment,” Watson said. “We need people who are willing to take children of any age, with all kinds of needs. We need people who can take medically fragile children. We need people who can take children with behavioral concerns. We really need people who can take sibling groups. One of our biggest needs is people who will consider taking a teenager.”

Demographically, there is a need for more black foster families.

“We like the diversity,” Watson said. “Sometimes the kids are more comfortable selecting a family that looks more like them.”

At HumanKind, a nonprofit with services that include therapeutic foster care, there is a bit of a joke that they work themselves out of a job.

“We recruit foster parents,” said Ashley Freeman, Therapeutic Foster Care Caseworker for HumanKind. “Once the house fills up or they decide to adopt, we are having to find new parents. We are always looking for parents who are looking to help out the community with these children.”

Foster care is limited to a 12-month process (with some exceptions), after which the goal is a permanent, stable placement, with family if possible.

“Our primary goal is always for them to return back home,” Watson said. “And if they can’t return back home then we want to place them with family. If they can’t go back home or they can’t go back to family, then adoption becomes the goal.”

If the ideal situation (living with family) is not realistic, finding them a “forever family” becomes a priority, so that they do not become lost in the system.

Like a number of foster parents, the Mullins ended up adopting. The circumstances, however, were remarkable. The couple found out Sarah was pregnant while still training to become foster parents. Still, they soon opened their home to a pair of sibling foster children—whom they adopted a year later.

According to Virginia Performs, Virginia is the nation’s leader for lowest foster care rate (2.5 per 1,000 children). Watson has seen this firsthand; the caseload has dropped dramatically from when she started about a decade ago.

“One of our strengths is placement stability here in Lynchburg,” Watson said. “I think we do a really good job in Lynchburg of keeping kids in that one foster home and not having that revolving door.”

Even with favorable statistics, the need for more foster families remains. Not every home is a match for a given child and the goal is for not one child to be without a home.

AGING OUT
From infants to 17 year olds there are literally children of every age in foster care. Often the most difficult to place are older—though, statistically they may be at the greatest risk. According to a University of Chicago study, youth who age out of the foster care system are more likely to end up in jail, homeless or with an unplanned child.

“A lot of people want the babies or those with zero behavioral [issues],” Freeman said, emphasizing the need for families willing to take in teenagers. Though bringing an older child into one’s home might feel more uncontrollable or scary, doing so could be the impact they need at a critical time.

“The teenagers you see who come in are usually the ones who need the most support, because they are about to enter the adult world,” Freeman explained. “They need support in the home to see what a family is but also support in the school and out in the community [influencing] how they should be socially.”

Many teens in foster care struggle with low motivation. Oftentimes this comes from a need for an advocate. Freeman recalls one teen with a poor academic record drastically improve after a previously unnoticed autism diagnosis was uncovered. With the help of an individualized education plan (IEP) the child began improving in school. It is situations like that, “where a parent can just really advocate for them and support them and help them to prepare for the real world … so this does not become a vicious cycle of them following behind the tracks of what happened to them,” that Freeman said a foster parent can make a difference in the life of a teen.

Human Services does offer resources—such as help with living and school expenses—to those who choose independent living once they turn 18, or age out of foster care, until they are 21.

After adopting two foster children, and having two biological children as well, the Mullins family was not looking to foster again anytime soon. But after discovering a need (and making sure it was a good fit), they welcomed a 17-year-old into their home last year, even as they were adjusting to a newborn. At 18, that child has now become a part of their family and defied statistics by choosing to remain with the foster family.

MISCONCEPTIONS
The first step might be the most daunting, but the barriers before it are not as great as they seem. For one, many do not realize that they can foster.

“They can be single, married, divorced, cohabitating,” Freeman said. “They can be renting [their home].”

Anyone who is willing, has the extra space and can pass extensive background checks and a home study can participate. One does not need a partner to foster and one is not too old to foster.

“We have older parents and some who are single who are amazing,” Freeman said.

Another barrier Freeman often encounters is the fear of having to say goodbye.

“When a child returns back to their parent, that is a win,” Freeman said, noting those who helped along the way realize the “amazing feeling is that they helped this child.”

“Sometimes people come into this thinking, ‘I want to adopt a child,’” Watson added. While that can happen, that is not the goal of foster care. “You have to go into it being willing to work with the birth family, knowing that this may not be your child forever. … One misconception is that there are children standing here waiting. We have some that need adoptive homes but there are not tons and they are not babies; they are typically older kids or sibling groups or kids with special needs.”

People have to understand going in that it will be difficult.

“Foster care is loss; it is trauma; it is grief,” Watson said. “The trauma that the child has gone through, having to walk them through that, is hard. But it is worthwhile.”

That is not to say that all kids in foster care are “bad.” Freeman said that those with unmanageable behavioral challenges are a “slim percentage of children” and that in a structured environment behavior can improve in many cases.

Sarah Mullins tells new foster parents to expect a lot of running around.

“There are a million appointments you are responsible for, especially when you first get your kids into foster care,” she said. “Doctor visits and therapy; so many reviews and appointments that keep you on the road. Especially those first few months.”

One misconception is that once you agree to foster you will have to take a child. Families know what they can handle, Watson explained, and the system trusts them to “say ‘no’ and ‘yes’ when they can.”

“Social Services does not just drop a kid off and see you later,” Adam Mullins said. “[Even] if it doesn’t work out, they can find a home that works better, an environment that fits their needs more.”

SUPPORT
It was a tough transition for Sarah coming off of a pregnancy while finalizing the adoption of two children. Out of the blue, she received a call from a lady with Social Services.

“She spent two hours on the phone with me, talking about my fears and concerns,” Sarah Mullins recalled. “They were just incredibly supportive.”

Watson said that many of the daycare, transportation, medical/counseling services and other expenses are covered to help alleviate the burden on foster parents.

“Having children is expensive,” she said. “It is important to know that upfront we will cover most of those expenses. We will take care of those things so that you can just parent. We try to take away the barriers; we want people from all over the community, from every neighborhood, to foster.”

Freeman emphasized the commitment that caseworkers make in offering support, even when circumstances are tough.

“As caseworkers we are here to support the families any time, any day,” she said.

In that regard, the Mullins’ expectations were exceeded.

“I feel like we were more supported than I thought we would have been,” Adam Mullins said. “I kind of pictured it as you go through this class and then you just get a kid and they are like, ‘good luck.’ [But] we were just surrounded by support. The social workers, the City, they were all there emotionally, they were there for physical needs, they made sure we had everything we needed for the kids.”

There are also a number of churches and charity groups that work to help foster parents. Brentwood Church (the Mullins’ home church), for example, has a program, Mosaic, specifically focused on serving foster and adoptive families, whether or not they are affiliated with the (or a) church. This includes bringing warm meals to families, helping them stock up on frozen meals and offering special nights with free childcare for parents to go out. Mosaic also delivers backpacks—filled with clothes and other necessities that they might not have had time to collect before being moved—to each foster child for their first night in the new home, offering a ray of warmth in an uncertain time.

“For those people who may not have the greatest support systems, there are groups out there that support them and love them if they reach out to them,” Sarah Mullins said.

Fostering is not for everyone. Still, there are ways for anyone to get involved—from donating money, gift cards, toiletries or other necessities to volunteering some time, just getting to know and support families. Watson encourages people to be active in their neighborhoods, to help mentor at-risk children, because we are all better for it if we build up our community.

“I’d like to see the community step up and take care of these kids,” Watson said.

To foster, offer support or for more information, contact Human Services at (434) 455-5718 or online at LynchburgVA.gov/Department-Human-Services.

to Secure a More Certain Future

Ready? Set? Retire. Saving for retirement is best approached as a marathon; making steady gains over time. But for many it becomes a sprint; racing against the clock to make sure the money won’t run out. Certified Financial Planner John Hall, President of Lynchburg Wealth Management, takes us step by step to the finish line—no matter how late the start.

No Time Like the Present
Depending on where you are right now in life or your career, you either have already or will at some point think about retirement, and what it will take financially to get there.

“The answer to the question ‘When should I start?’ is almost always ‘right now’,” says Hall. “The first step to take in prioritizing retirement savings is to start. The sooner you start, the better off you’ll be.”

A workplace retirement plan, such as a 401(k) or 403(b), can help you get started and stay on track through regular contributions, deducted right from your paycheck. That is particularly true if your employer matches what employees put in. Contribute at least enough to guarantee you get your company’s full match.
If you don’t have a workplace plan, or your employer does not offer a match, Hall says saving through an IRA is a good option. He suggests a Roth IRA if you have earned income that doesn’t exceed qualification limits.

Above and Beyond—You’ll Be Glad You Did
If you can afford to set aside more than what your company will match, Hall says contribute more.

To make sure you’re getting the best bang for your above-and-beyond bucks toward retirement, Hall suggests comparing the costs of your employer plan with other retirement savings options, such as IRAs.

Raise Now=Raise Later
Just imagine what that extra two to three percent a year could add up to years from now.

Every time you get a raise, Hall suggests increasing your retirement savings contributions. You won’t miss it. “That way, you’re putting away more money but it’s not hurting your take-home pay,” he says.

Age is More Than Just a Number, It’s a Strategy
Just as your needs and priorities change from your first job to your last, so should your retirement portfolio.

The right asset allocation, which means the mix of the types of investments you have, should reflect how close you are to retirement.

Hall says consider investments, such as equities, when planning your long-term goals, while other investments are best used for near-term needs.

“When you’re approaching retirement, or when it’s within a ten-year window, then yes it often makes sense to ensure that a certain portion of your retirement savings is invested more conservatively,” says Hall. “This is a rule-of-thumb, though, as everyone’s circumstances are different.”

Hall says this is where the advice of a good financial planner can truly be beneficial. You can discuss your individual situation with a professional and together develop your personal investment strategy.

College or Retirement?
Some kids will inevitably wind up on the five-year college plan, but that’s not where mom and dad want to be when it comes to retirement savings.

As noble as it is to want your children to come out of college debt-free, parents need to think of their own futures first.

“When it comes right down to it, it’s possible to borrow for education, but not so much for retirement,” says Hall.

For that reason, Hall typically recommends prioritizing retirement savings over education savings if you must choose between the two.

“It’s the old adage of putting on your air mask before helping those around you,” says Hall. “That said, if you start early enough, it can be feasible to save for and fund both goals. The earlier you start, the more realistic this is.”

Making Up for Lost Time
So you blinked and retirement is almost here, but your savings are not there yet.

It turns out it’s never too late to do something when it comes to your retirement savings.

“We can’t change what’s happened up until this point, but we can change how we’re going to save going forward,” says Hall.

Hall says amassing a huge nest egg becomes more difficult the closer one gets to retirement, but there are still steps to put even the most seasoned procrastinators in better positions.

If you’re 50 or older, look into certain savings tools, like IRAs, that have “catch-up” provisions. Such provisions can help some, but you’ll want to speak with a professional financial adviser who can help you take full advantage of them.

Don’t Believe Everything You See or Hear
You’re flipping channels and you see the guy who played a beloved TV dad, telling you how to invest your hard-earned money for your very real future. Remember—he gets paid to say that.

“If it’s being sold by an out-of-work actor on late-night television, it’s probably not the best idea in the world,” says Hall. “Investments that are sold with a pitch that plays on your fears, your politics, or that ‘guarantee’… something that sounds too
good to be true likely is indeed too good to be true.”

“Find a financial partner that you can trust,” says Hall. “You’ll know when it feels right.”

Disclaimer: This article is generalized in nature and should not be considered personalized financial, legal, or tax advice. All information and ideas provided should be discussed with an advisor, accountant, or legal counsel prior to implementation.

Behind the Scenes
The wreath seen on our cover is made from clippings gathered from the country property of Holly Watters, VistaGraphic’s VP of production. And a special thanks to our hand model and online content editor Grace Silipigni, art director Chris Meligonis and photographer Dave Uhrin.

Quotables
“I kind of pictured it as you go through this class and then you just get a kid and they are like, ‘good luck.’ [But] we were just surrounded by support.” – Adam Mullins on his transition to becoming a foster parent. An in-depth look at the misconceptions about foster care starts on page 63.

#LynchburgLiving
Kelly Mortemousque posted a photo complimenting the “amazing” meal she had at the Lynchburg Grows Greenhouse Dinner on September 30. The second annual event was sold out!

Be sure to share your photos with us on Instagram by using the hashtag #lynchburgliving!

with Nomad Coffee Co.’s Unique Mocktails

Nomad Coffee Co. is a caffeine station on wheels and, at the same time, tries to feel a little bit like happy hour too.

Owner Josh Davies and his wife Jeanne say they are proud to offer some things you may not be able to find at brick and mortar coffee shops, such as their coffee mocktails. Josh says the inspiration for these caffeinated, non-alcoholic drinks came from his experience working with another Nomad employee at a call center.

“We would talk about how nice it would be to have a cocktail on the clock. When Nomad became a full-time thing, we started serving call centers in town. So, I came up with the idea to make a couple of drinks people would enjoy at work, would keep them caffeinated, and would taste like they have arrived at 5 p.m.,” says Josh.

Then, a visit to a local distillery led to the creation of their customers’ current favorite mocktail, the Smoking Train Hopper—iced coffee, a shot of espresso, house made bourbon simple syrup, cherry, hickory smoke syrup, topped off with orange bitters from Blackwater Bitters.

“[At the distillery] they were smoking cocktails that day and it was an awesome experience plus the cocktail was one of the best I’ve ever had. So, for just 50 cents more, we will smoke the Train Hopper on oak chips right in front of you,” Josh explains.

Check Instagram and Facebook on Sunday to find out where Nomad will be each week; they also do frequent giveaways.

Then, cozy up with a Smoking Train Hopper with all the fun of a cocktail, minus the hangover!

It’s a dessert many people drool over but are too intimidated to make for themselves: the decadent, but finicky, cheesecake.

Donna Kelly makes it look easy. Just call her “The Cheesecake Lady.” (Some people actually do!)

It’s a title she has earned after not only perfecting the art of the standard cheesecake, but also learning how to make 70 different types of recipes/flavors.
You crave it? She will create it.

It all started 15 years ago when her boss at Charley’s Restaurant needed a dessert for the weekend. She knew how to make some sweet stuff but didn’t consider herself an expert. She made a carrot cake—and it was a hit. That opened the door to her experimenting with more restaurant-worthy desserts, including cheesecake.

“People are scared to make cheesecake. They go, ‘I couldn’t ever do that’,” Donna says. “It just takes a little patience… and practice too.”

Donna says first, don’t “beat it to death.” Aside from the first three minutes of mixing, only beat the cheesecake batter when you have to as you add ingredients. Overbeating will result in a dry and cracked cheesecake, she says. Putting the cheesecake in a water bath (see tip on next page) also helps reduce cracks. She also suggests freezing your crust to get a “nice, tender” end result.

So stop fretting, pull out your mixer and follow Donna’s recipe. You might not be “The Cheesecake Lady” but you can still wow your friends and family with one of her fabulous creations.

Blueberry White Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust Ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. melted butter

Cheesecake ingredients:
3 8-oz. portions of cream cheese at
room temperature
3 eggs at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup of white chocolate chips melted
1/2 cup of fresh blueberries
1/3 can of blueberry pie filling

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch Spring Form pan and line with parchment paper.

Combine crust ingredients and press into bottom of cheesecake pan. Put in freezer for at least 15 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs at low to medium speed one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Slowly beat in melted chocolate.

Line outside of pan with two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil.

Pour half of batter over frozen crust. Dot with fresh blueberries. Slowly pour remaining batter over blueberries. Spoon dollops of pie filling over batter. With a sharp knife gently swirl filling through batter.

Put cheesecake in roasting pan or large cake pan and add hot water (at least an inch). Bake 65 to 75 min. Center will jiggle slightly. Turn off oven and open door slightly. Remove after oven has cooled. Chill for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.

Butterscotch Cheesecake

Crust ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
2 tbsp. melted butter

Cheesecake ingredients:
3 8-oz. portions of cream cheese at room temperature
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup butterscotch chips melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch Spring Form pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Combine crust ingredients and press into bottom of pan and freeze for at least 15 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine cream cheese and sugar and beat for 3 minutes on medium-high speed. At low to medium speed, add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Add melted butterscotch slowly and mix in thoroughly at low speed.

Line cheesecake pan with two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. Pour batter over frozen crust. Place in roasting pan or large cake pan. Fill with hot water, about 1-inch deep. Bake 60 to 65 minutes. Center will jiggle slightly. Turn off oven, crack oven door and let cool. Chill 4 to 6 hours or overnight.

With Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s celebrations all happening back to back, it can be tough to avoid holiday treats and savory dinners in November and December. But just because the temptation is there, doesn’t necessarily mean the numbers on the scale have to change.
Follow the five trim tips below to help you enjoy those special holiday treats and maintain your weight too.

Trim Tip #1 – Plan ahead.

One of the main reasons people gain weight over the holidays is due to a lack of planning.

“What I find is that my patients are not really planning accordingly, so they are caught off guard,” said Stephanie Wright, weight loss coach at Wyndhurst Medical Aesthetics and Hormone Clinic. “They have all these different events to go to that have indulgences.”

If you are attending a potluck-style party, Wright recommends bringing something that is healthy, such as a veggie tray, deviled eggs, or baked goods made with protein powders. This ensures that there will be a healthy option for you.

Also, anticipating the events where you might choose to indulge will help you plan your week.

“If you know you have five get-togethers in one week, you want to be really mindful of that,” Wright said.

Even when you are out, try to fill up on vegetables, appetizers and side dishes, because they are often lower in calories than main dishes.

Trim Tip #2 – Remove extra temptations.

“Try to keep indulgent food out of your environment,” Wright said. “You can’t really control it at a party, but you can control what’s at your desk environment at work and what’s in your home.”

For example, she says you should avoid bringing home leftovers, cookies, cakes, and other sweets from parties or get-togethers.

“You’re going to have plenty of opportunities to enjoy those things at parties and special events,” she said. “You don’t need to be tempted within your daily scheme on top of those things.”

Trim Tip #3 – Don’t become famished.

If you let yourself get to the point that you are very hungry, you will most likely overeat. Try to eat a small meal before you go to a party or before a large meal such as Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

“Stay hydrated,” Wright said. “Keep drinking your water; that keeps you feeling full.”

If you are going to an event, drink a glass or two of water before you go, that way you do not feel as hungry and overindulge.

“Hot beverages do the same thing,” she continued. “So if you’re at a restaurant and you order a hot beverage like hot tea, it helps you to not feel as hungry.”

Trim Tip #4 – Focus on small and slow.

Another way to prevent overeating is to use a smaller plate,
such as a salad or dessert plate. This has proven to cut down your calorie intake significantly. Eating slowly will also give your body the opportunity to feel full.

“Studies have shown that if you take 30 minutes to eat, versus 10 minutes to eat, you’re going to save yourself at least 70 calories per meal,” Wright said. “And that adds up during the holidays.”

Also, when you eat slowly, you are typically more mindful of what you are consuming.

“It takes about 20 minutes for you to really feel what you ate,” Wright said. “So if you eat within 10 minutes you’re not going to feel full and you might keep eating more and more.”

Take time to enjoy your food, and not rush.

Trim Tip #5 – Maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.

Try to stay consistent with eating healthy at home and stay active. If you are staying on track day-to-day, you do not need to be quite as careful at a gathering.

Staying active through the holiday season will help decrease the risk of weight gain as well. Accountability is key, so signing up for a fitness class or event will help you stay active. Also, an event such as the Turkey Trot for HumanKind on November 23 is a great choice that can help you keep your focus.

“[That race] is a great thing to sign up for,” Wright said. “You have to train for it and it gives you an opportunity to burn calories before your meal.”

Wright reiterates, it’s okay to allow yourself to indulge, just don’t overindulge the entire holiday season.

“Don’t think of it as just a ‘I can have whatever I want’ . . . but it is holiday time. [So] enjoy it, enjoy the socialization,” Wright explained. “I think it’s also a healthy perspective of food, that we’re not afraid to do that.”